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Fate/Zero Exchange of Questions and Answers

This is an interview with Nasu and Urobuchi found in ALL OVER/Zero, a bonus booklet that came with the purchase of Fate/Zero volume 4 during Comiket 73 (2007 December).

There are 20 questions total, while some of them answers some questions about the story and the settings, a majority are jokes and references to other works.

Questions 1: Saber and Irisviel seem to have established a great Master-Servant relationship, and it seems those two have not eaten together? [ Taitō · Yurianna LUV-san ]

Nasu: Because Irisviel is a homunculus, all she really needs is to have her magic re-supplied, and the same applies to Saber, who is a Servant. It's very fortunate that this pair does not have a high demand for food.

Uro: Shirou's food education awoke Saber's gourmet spirit 10 years later, at the time of Zero, she probably thought all the food in the world was like fish and chips.

Questions 2: What's the limit of Berserker's ability to "turn any object into Noble Phantasm"? Will it work on a battleship? Why not just hijack a computer and become an existence like Sky*et... please put a stop to my overflowing dreams. [ Kyoto · Musashibō-san ]

Nasu: In theory it's limited to objects that are weapons. An aircraft carrier's role as weapon transportation is ranked higher than it being a weapon, so it shouldn't be counted as a weapon. Something like that. What's your opionion on this, Uro-san?

Uro: For Berserker, the Noble Phantasm can only be activated for things he recognizes as "this is a weapon." In that case, if he is skilled in wrestling, can he... turn a steel chair into a Noble Phantasm?

Questions 3: Please tell me who would win in a "no-skirt" competition between Iskandar and Caren? [ Chiyoda · Clerk of a certain large bookstore ]

Uro: If it's a real competition, due to Iskander's complex shape, you'll need skirt with an overwhelming number of edges. This is the greatness of the King of Conquerors.

Nasu: You got it all wrong! How can you even compare someone who doesn't wear skirt to someone who doesn't even wear underwear!

Questions 4: Out of the Hundred-Faced Assassins, which Hassan left the deepest impression on you? [ Mie Prefecture · Modern Ninjutsu Study Group member ]

Uro: It'll have to be the Hasan who can imitate Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Nasu: For me it'd be the Hasan who can tell whether a chick (chicken) is male or female.

Avenger: Ah, about that, Master, Urobuchi Ba Ji Quan is an internal style that surpasses external styles, he's also killer of Saibane Fist users, and one of these days he will complete some superhuman technique like the supersonic 6 Hit Fist, so you can't use it for reference. Also, why are you trying to weaponize yourself?

Uro: That's a technique that combines Ba Ji Quan and the miracle of magic. It's a feat that can only be accomplished by someone with a suicidal fighting style like Kotomine, who is willing to sacrifice one of his own arms.

Questions 6: In the end did Father Mite repent? Also, my Gin-Pika seems functionally different from the Gin-Pika here, can I return it? [ Taitō · Fuyuki's Holy Virgin ]

Questions 7: ...hey hey, are we missing a page here? What happened to the most important character? [ Fuyuki · Fuyuki's Tiger (Current) ]

Nasu: That's enough Fujimura.

Uro: I didn't have you make an appearance because of how important you are. Not touching you with these dirty hands is my way of showing my love! Sorry, that was all made up, I just don't want to be burned.

Questions 8: Recently Hollywood has been using F-22, if Hollywood offered that to you, would you still use F-15? Or would you rather use Itano Circus? [ Taitō · Korokazu ]

Uro: According to Hollywood settings perhaps the Self-Defense Forces really is more advanced than the U.S. Air Force, using F-22 in the early 90s. The subtle detail of the night vision system on Kiritsugu's rifle also has its own antique flavor.

Questions 9: Why is my luck stat curiously low... it seems even lower than when I fell to the dark side 10 years later. What kind of curse is this? [ Fuyuki · King of Knights ]

Nasu: In Zero, due to the effect of Urobuchi Gen's Reality Marble, Dead End Catharsis: Heaven and Hell Drop, all character's luck have been lowered by one rank.

Uro: But at the same time Kinoko Dimension also took place in Fuyuki, so those who can survive will definitely live. Something this reasonable happens very rarely in Urobuchi's world, so it's already a very considerate measure.

Questions 10: I'm currently playing this game called Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII, is there any way to get rid of this Social Interactions and Relationships system? Just because I pillaged a little bit and executed a person I didn't like, now no one wants to join me, no one wants to talk to me, and Sun Shangxiang won't even marry me. This is so weird! How can I conquer like this? Are all Chinese people this narrow-minded? [ Fuyuki · King of Conquerors ]

Nasu: Kusoge tsumaran! (Greetings). About that, sorry, but please participate in the Grail War seriously. If you want to play games, do it during breaks. Ah, and Civilization isn't too bad either.

Uro: Right, and someone like your excellency shouldn't touch Elder Scrolls IV either. Its system would be too harsh for a conqueror, where pressing A by mistake can turn an entire city's guards into your enemy.

Questions 11: It's a bit sudden, but can we please discuss this. I'm currently dying in a back alley, and suddenly this weird cane calling itself Kaleido Stick appears and says something like "make a contract with me, if we make this contract, not only will you not die, but some eggplant or mushroom guy will even make a game where I'm the main character." What should I do? Should I make the contract? [ Fuyuki · Kotone ]

Nasu: Please make the contract, that wand is a magical tool that can lead you to the top of the world, its Ruby persuasion skill is harsher than any words. Ah, but please understand that we will need to take out someone from the main heroines.

Uro: Hmm, at least it's better than turning into something like an organ (instrument) or umbrella.

Questions 12: Diarmuid tastes so good. [ Causal horizon · All the evil of the world ]

Uro: Among Fuyuki's local specialty of Servants, we carefully picked out the tragic Celtic hero, have him commit suicide through a Command Seal to ensure the ingredient's freshness. Our restaurant's main chef is very confident in and highly recommends this Lancer dish. There's nothing better than hearing that you enjoyed it.

Questions 13: ...Is it a tradition that the Saber class is always beaten by the Lancer class at the start of the story? [ Wales · Pig of Cornwall ]

Nasu: That also surprised me, it's something to be admired. Please understand the power of Urobuchi Gen, who faithfully followed the beginning of Fate/stay night's story. But... to think he also copied its ending! That person really is a demon! (Biting a handkerchief while crying)

Questions 14: Is the reason Lancer didn't bring Moralltach and Beagalltach this time also because he (Kayneth) didn't listen to his wife? Would Beagalltach even be of use this time? [ Ireland · Pig of Ben Bulben ]

Uro: Diarmuid is a nice guy who can read a situation. It would be a bit too much to bring out a sword as a Lancer. This time there was no advice from the wife. At the most she's just a fiancé. To Kayneth, that is.

Questions 15: Aaaand on the subject of Berserker, you three got along, with no one ever screaming at the others to do something? [ Massachusetts · Written as the moon-killing Char's Zaku (Because it's red) ]

Neco-Arc: So the yangire makes her appearance. Even though I'm jealous of your depravity and evilness, please be careful just in case, not everyone can live freely like you. Oh right, AB, you seem to have become weak ever since you became a playable character. Even though I was always badly beaten by you when you were controlled by the computer, I lost miserably within a single round while using you myself.

Questions 16: The middle-aged man of Fuyuki, Kiritsugu, holds two powers. One of them is the Command Seal, the power to give absolute command to the strongest Servant. The other power is the Contender. With magical bullets that have the power to destroy a mage's magic circuit, carrying with him the nickname "Magus Killer," Kiritsugu began making his move. To obtain the Holy Grail, and to create a peaceful world where everyone can live in happiness. [ Area 11 · Pizza Hut regular ]

Nasu: At the end of a long misunderstanding, Kiritsugu was finally able to reconcile with Iri. Little did he know that Iri would take a simple joke like "For example, to kill all humans?" seriously. Later, a blood stained Iri.

Uro: But volume 4 almost turned out this way.

Questions 17: How come papa Risei is Seagal? [ Chiyoda · Akane-chan ]

Nasu: Thinking about it from another perspective, he is Seagal because he is papa Risei.

Questions 18: In the 3rd volume, I became moe for Sola-Ui after she experiences the joy of first love. A page later she got her arm cut off. In Zero's world, is there a law that states "Feeling happiness is a precursor to BAD END"? [ Mifune City · Servant Yandere's Glasses ]

Nasu: To heartless girls, "Ah, I will receive happiness after this," "I will get married after the war is over," and "My child is about to be born" are all curses of the same rank, please be extra cautious.

Uro: There's no point in showing mercy to those drowning in the river of love. Don't you agree, Jason sensei?

Questions 19: My family is a drapery wholesaler, if I looked around our warehouse, will be able to find a magic book like the Kiryū boy? If possible I'd like it to be a Japanese Servant. [ Fuyuki · Kaede Makidera ]

Uro: Even though it's for my own enjoyment, probably the great revival of the true Gilgamesh. I also wanted to dedicate more pages to Kariya and Sola-Ui. Uh... but it probably wouldn't turn out to be a happy scene if I were to write it. Looks like Sola-Ui really is someone who can truly shine only in doujinshi.

Finish! Good work today.

Fish and chips
Looks like he forgot fish and chips didn't exist around the time of King Arthur.

Sky*et
Refers to Skynet from the Terminator series, a fictional artificial intelligence system that becomes self-aware and decides to terminate humanity.

バゼット☆鍛
Bazett☆Tan, comes from Fate/tiger colosseum, where fans referred to Bazett as "破壊天使バゼットたん" (Angel of destruction Bazett-tan), which resulted in a barrage of videos on Nico Nico Douga, one of which decreed that "Xたん O鍛" (both are pronounced "tan," but 鍛 can also mean "forged"). Here it is unknown whether Nasu used this name because he saw the Nico video...

Ba Ji Quan
八極拳, a form of Chinese martial arts.

Internal/External styles
In Chinese martial arts, internal styles focus more on elements such as mind, awareness, and "chi", where as external styles focus more on physical strength and agility. Read more about it here. Here, Bazett from Fate/hollow ataraxia is interested in learning Kotomine's techniques, and her Servant, Avenger, is trying to talk her out of it.

Killer of Saibane Fist
Saibane Fist (サイバネ拳法) is a term from Urobuchi/Nitro+'s Kikokugai. An "external" style where a person whose body has been partially replaced by robotic parts attain strengths impossible for normal humans. Killer of Saibane Fist (サイバネ 拳法殺し) is likely referring to how Kotomine's style is similar to Shidenshō (紫電掌), another Kikokugai technique where the user injects strong electromagnetic pulse into the opponent's body, destroying the eletronics of the mechanized body parts, similar to how Kiritsugu's Origin Bullets can destroy a mage's magic circuits. For Saibane Fist users it's a one-hit killing blow.

Supersonic 6 Hit Fist
Likely another reference to Kikokugai (as is with most of Uro-related responses). Probably referring to 六塵散魂無縫剣, a supersonic sword technique of Kikokugai's protagonist that is so fast it can cut down bullets fired from a machine gun.

Gin-Pika
Or "Golden Flash," a nickname given by Rin to Gilgamesh due to his flashy golden armor.

Fuyuki's TigerFate/stay night's Taiga.

Itano Circus
Named after anime director Itano Ichirô, and primarily comes from the anime Macross, in which Itano created an attack where a ridiculously large number of missiles are launched at a target. It's usually characterized by the missiles' twisting, turning and crisscrossing contrails. Watch this video to get a better idea.

10 years later
Referring to Saber Alter from the Heaven's Feel route in Fate/stay night.

Kaleido Stick
A sentient wand wand that appeared in Fate/hollow atarxia, responsible for transforming Rin into a magical girl.

Kotone
Rin's close friend in Fate/Zero.

Harsher than any words
A play on words. "千の言葉より残酷なルビーちゃんという説得力......！" is a reference to a fashion magazine ad.

Demonbane
This time our guest is Another Blood from Kishin Hishou Demonbane, a girl who despises her mother and loves her father. The "you three got along" thing is her quote from the fighting game Nitro Royale: Heroines Duel when she beats Saber.

Char's Zaku
Possibly referring to Char Aznable's Zaku unit from the Mobile Suit Gundam series, and its similarity to the robot she pilots?

YangireA term that refers to characters who snap suddenly out of jealousy, irritation or something similar.

A blood stained Iri
This question is a big parody of Code Geass... "The young man from Britannia, Lelouche holds two powers. One of them is Geass, the power to give absolute command to his opponent. The other power is the Black Knights [...] carrying with him the name "Zero" [...] create a peaceful world where his sister can live in happiness." The bloody Iri joke is a reference to the events of Code Geass episode 22.

Seagal
Probably asking why Risei looks like Steven Seagal.

観布子市・ヤンデレ使いのメガネ
観布子市 (Mifune City), located in Tokyo, is the city where the events of Kara no Kyoukai take place, ヤンデレ使いのメガネ is probably referring to Mikiya.

Mountain of Mash Tree
マッシュきの山 (?), this is a name that appeared in TYPE-MOON's 2009 April Fool's joke.